Earcalie was rummaging in a big, heavy house chest made of oak and lined with iron studs. She seized the small room in the mansion that had once been her father's workshop, still filled with stacked construction materials, half finished projects and other memorabilia. Against one of the walls, a number of shelves hosted a collection of fancy ships inside bottles of various shapes and looks; mostly elven but also a few of old numenorian make and even a Dalish knarr. What Earcalie was searching for however, was none of those. She had spent the better part of the morning in the room and at a certain point Histealdo appeared at the doorstep with a frown on his face.
"Would you be so kind to tell me what are you doing? You've been making noise all morning and... what is all this disorder!" his eyes scanned the floor littered with half carved wooden pieces, parchment and dust.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" she answered, head still in the house chest "I'm searching for something". He sighed "I can see that. Do you need help?"
"No thank you... or well... do you remember where father kept his miniatures?"
"Not in that chest. I think he stored them in one of the small ones on top of the armoire. Which means you have been wasting time and made a whole lot of noise for nothing". The elleth emerged from her search side-eyeing her uncle who walked away muttering something about "youngsters and no regard for order". She stared at the armoire on the opposite wall from the bottled ships. Indeed a small chest of rough wood and a couple baskets were stacked on top of it, looking so ordinary that Earcalie never really paid attention to them.
With a long sigh, she pulled a ladder against it and very carefully grabbed the small chest, fiddling for a moment with the lock. Inside were a collection of miniature crafts, elven warriors, animals, tiny castles and the one she was searching. With a happy shout, she pocketed the one she needed and scampered out of the workshop. She would clean it... later.
*
The elleth found Naergon at what became the "usual spot" on the docks in Celondim. He was sitting crosslegged watching the fishermen work, humming some song she knew not. Sneaking behind his back, she yelled "BOO!". He barely flinched, turning his head to smile at her "Good day to you Calie"
"So much for a reaction....". He kept smiling with the faint air of melancholy and mild mannerism that was so characteristic of him. "Have you come to keep me company?"
"Depends, what are you doing?"
"Observing the fishermen at work... the boats that pass, the birds fly..."
"Boring" she replied with a scoff, sitting down as well "But truly, it suits you, just don't come to me with a sad ballad, I prefer the happy shanties. Anyway, I have something for you!"
He blinked, tilting his head, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Look at this!" the elleth took a small bottle out of a leather bag. Naergon whistled low when he saw it, and what was inside. "May I...?"
"It is for you, of course". She gave him the bottle and he stared at it for a long while. Inside the bottle, there was a miniature raft, but not any rickety raft, one of those that the elves in Loeglond used to transport goods from Mirkwood to the Long Lake. The miniature reproduced the raft in detail from the coloration of the wood, to the leaf shaped oars, inside the bottle were also a bed of dried moss and a few little dried wildflowers. The ellon looked at it surprised "What is this?"
"A raft in a bottle. Usually ships are made to fit inside bottles but, I assume this is one father did as practice before the bigger ones"
"He made this? Isn't he a Noldo? I thought only the Falathrim did this kind of work"
"Yes, but the population of Lindon was always mixed, he took up this odd craft from them as a past-time. I also don't know when he ever visited Mirkwood, I never asked him, but I remembered he had all sorts of models in his workshop" she shrugged. "Take it. If it doesn't make you too nostalgic that is". He shook his head, flashing a rare smile without sadness.
"I don't know what to say... this is a lovely memento of home. Are you sure I can have it?"
"I said it is for you didn't I? You can brag about possessing the only raft in a bottle this side of the sea. Maybe even on the other side!". He chuckled, the melancholy taking its usual place on his face. "It will be a reminder..."
"Good! Now no more moping, let's see if the fishermen can spare a fish or two for us". She dragged him away from his contemplation spot, Naergon wrapping the bottle in his cape. On the docks, one of the cats looked at them and shook its whiskers. Two legged beings, they are weird and complicated...
